Charter for Biological Sampling & Mooring Deployment

Description

The Scottish Ministers invite tenders to provide vessel charter services for the deployment and retrieval of scientific equipment in Scottish waters. Lot 1: The work will consist of one vessel charter trip 1-6 July 2025 plus 3 bad weather days (to 9th July). The Marine Directorate are leading a project titled ECOCHANGE (Ecosystem Consequences of Changes to Habitats and the implications for a Net Gain Energy approach). This project will examine potential changes to food web nutrient flows at offshore wind farm sites to determine the functional role of marine growth originating from hard structures associated with the development. Biological samples will be collected from across the foodweb (fish, invertebrates, plankton etc.) and analysed using Stable Isotope Analysis and Stomach Contents Analysis. All samples will be frozen as soon as possible after they are retrieved on deck and stored in a freezer on board.